The many factors influencing brand safety and suitability | WARC | The Feed

The many factors influencing brand safety and suitability

Content adjacency – the placement of an ad alongside specific content – is only the starting point of a safety and suitability strategy: advertisers must also consider the message conveyed, the audience perception of the ad, and the brand’s own sensitivities. 

That's according to DoubleVerify’s “Factors That Influence Brand Safety and Suitability”, a survey* of over 19,000 participants across 17 countries. 

Why it matters

Brands seeking to take advantage of new channels to reach new audiences can protect their brand equity by noting that geography plays a significant role in the perception of suitability, while demographics influence consumer sensitivity to the brand message and content alignment.

Takeaways 

• Brand messages and content alignment change perception, with some being more appropriate for specific content categories.
• A healthcare ad displayed beside low-risk adult/sexual content is deemed suitable by 44% of respondents.
• In contrast, an alcohol ad appearing in the same context is rated unsuitable by 48% of respondents.
• Geography plays a big role in perception of suitability – medium-risk alcohol content was rated suitable in France and Indonesia; but the same stimulus was placed in the most unsuitable category in India and Vietnam.
• Demographics influence consumer sensitivity – older respondents, those in rural areas and women, were more sensitive in general.
• Consumers 65+ were, on average, 17% more likely to rate content as “unsuitable” when compared to the youngest demographic.
• Younger respondents expressed a more favorable response to all tested stimuli: medium-risk adult/sexual content (24% more suitable), celebrity gossip (29%) vs an older demographic.
• Globally, men found ads alongside all content types more suitable, rating content 8% more suitable and 4% less unsuitable than women.

Key quote

“By embracing a more holistic approach to brand safety and suitability, brands can not only maintain their reputation and integrity but also ensure that their advertising efforts resonate with the target audience and deliver the desired results” – Mark Zagorski, CEO, DoubleVerify.

*The survey, conducted in collaboration with Publicis Media and Kraft Heinz, Reckitt and Comcast, helps advertisers around the world better understand the factors they should consider as they seek a more holistic and nuanced approach to brand safety and suitability.